Final Victory
by Baldor of Rohan
Summary: 35 years after the war of the ring, mankind has fallen under the reign of the two dark lords, Sauron, and Saruman. Only a brave few resist. Based on Discord Roleplay
1. Chapter 1

Baldor leads a small force of Rohirrim knights on patrol through the moonlit fields of Rohan. As they ride, a man wearing civilian clothes runs towards the patrol, he waves his arms frantically as he shouts something about an attack on a village. After calming the man down Baldor asks what is happening. The villager responds by saying his village, Angleton, is under attack. Baldor thanks the man and points him in the direction of the nearest safe village. He then rides with his knights in the direction of Angleton and arrives on a hill outside of the village. They see what seems like a massive bonfire, but in reality it is a dozen thatched houses burning at once. As they enter the village they see bodies strewn throughout the main street. They would see a couple of guards, and several villagers with makeshift weapons, all lying dead.

Down the street they see some guards fighting dunlending wildmen. Baldor barks an order and the knights form a wedge. Baldor lines up beside them and orders a charge. The charge is too late however, as the guards had already been slain. The orcs, who numbered two dozen, died under the lances of the elite knights. The knights draw their swords and enter a fierce melee with the wildmen. A small band of shieldmaidens arrive to reinforce the wildmen.

Suddenly, the fighting stops. Both sides withdraw to reform their lines. Both sides grow anxious, waiting for the other to charge. Then, the chieftain who leads the dunlending forces emerges from their lines and, in a deep hoarse voice, challenges Baldor to duel. Baldor, in halting dunlending, agrees, so long as the defeated side will surrender their men. The chieftain agrees to the conditions and soon the duel commences.

Baldor draws into a defensive stance, waiting for the chieftain to make the first move, he does. The chieftain shouts out "Know that Bjorn Bloodaxe has slain you!" Bjorn makes a lunging attack at Baldor, but all the blade meets is a wooden shield. Baldor then rams his shield into Bjorn's chest, staggering him and buying Baldor a few seconds. He then thrusts his sword into the dunlending's side and the blow connects, driving deep into his ribcage and piercing the heart killing him within a few seconds.

The knights cheer as they see the lifeless body slump to the ground, but the reaction from the dunlendings is quite the opposite. They draw their weapons in anger before remembering the conditions of the duel. Shamefully, they throw their weapons on the ground, all except one. A tall, red-headed shieldmaiden draws a short sword and charges at Baldor. She catches him off guard and slashes at his head; the blow connects but succeeds in merely knocking his helmet off. He responds with a well-timed slash at the shieldmaiden's arm. With light armor, the blow does heavy damage to the arm, slicing a deep gash. The woman falls to the ground, screaming in agony. Baldor contemplates killing her but seeing her writhe in pain on the ground makes him change his mind.

Baldor's lieutenant, Leofric, walks up to him. "What are you planning on doing with the captives?"

"I think we should take them prisoner," Baldor replies. "We could interrogate them as to why they have strayed this far from Dunland."

"Very well sir," Leofric replies," I shall gather the prisoners up and take them to the capital."

As the men bind the hands of the Dunlendings, Baldor spots another force of Rohirrim knights being led by man dressed in a mercenary's armor. As they ride up Baldor stops the mercenary.

"We saw the smoke and fire from a distance. We came to see if we could help, but it looks like you have beaten us to it."

Baldor thinks a moment before saying, "There are too many prisoners for my men alone to transport. Do you think that maybe you could help us move them to the capital?"

"I would be honored to help you, I'll take half of the prisoners, and you'll take half."

"That sounds fair to me." Baldor says.

After splitting up the prisoners, Baldor and the mercenary ride to the capital of the remaining Rohirrim, Windfall. Built in the years following the disastrous War of the Ring, Windfall has resisted multiple assaults by the forces of Saruman. It is built on four levels, each slightly higher than the other. On the first level is located the main wall, the barracks, and a few taverns. The second and third levels each contain walls, homes, shops, and taverns. The fourth level consists of a massive courtyard for public gatherings and a near impenetrable castle. The castle itself has only one possible entrance, the gate, which is guarded at all times by the elite guard of the king. It is into this mighty fortress city that Baldor and the mercenary ride.

Meanwhile, in the fortress of Isengard, Saruman has been pondering the threat of the last remnant of Rohan. Surely his army is more numerous than any pitiful force the horse-lords could muster. But yet the Rohirrim had delt him defeat after defeat. He realized that the best way to defeat them would be to kill their best commanders, Baldor and Prince Thaelon. The two leaders had the love and support of the people. He calls for one of his best commanders, Azdush. The uruk walks through the two black doors leading into the main room of Orthanc; he looks to see a pedestal in the center which a glowing bluish black orb is lying upon. 'Must be the Seeing Stone.' He thinks to himself. He looks to his left and sees a bent old man holding a staff sitting upon a black marble throne. "You wanted to see me my lord?" He says as he bows before the wizard Saruman.

"Yes my faithful servant," Saruman replies. "I have called you hear for a reason. The problem of the remaining Rohirrim army has been troubling me. My spies report that over the past few months, the size of their army has grown exponentially, as soldiers fleeing from broken rebellions elsewhere have swelled their numbers. I will give you command of 30,000 men to fight these rebels. Don't engage them in a pitched battle immediately though, wait for an opportune moment to strike. Now go, crush this rebellion."

Without a word, Azdush stands up and makes his way out of the citadel. He sees his army gathered before the doors and soon they leave to make war on the resistance.

As they march, they happen across a large patrol led by Thaelon, Prince of Rohan. Thaelon spots the massive army and realizing that his patrol would be no match for the army, he orders them to retreat back to the capital and alert the king to this new danger. As they ride away, a force of warg riders chases them for a ways before giving up them up.

Thaelon enters the city and rides to the citadel. He is admitted to the throne room by the palace guards, members of King Tyrgon's elite legion of bodyguards known as the Stormcloaks. Thaelon enters and sees his father sitting on the beautifully carved wooden throne recovered from the ruins of Meduseld, the Golden Hall of Rohan in Edoras, the former capital.

"Father, I have urgent news," Thaelon says. "I was out on patrol with some of my men as usual, but as we were about to turn around and head back, we stumbled across a massive uruk army, my estimate is over 30,000 uruks."

Tyrgon thinks for a moment before saying, "Don't stress it, this fortress can withstand any attack as long as there are men inside willing to defend it. Bring in that peasant friend of yours, Baldor I believe his name was."

Thaelon's face turns red as he tries to defend Baldor. "Father! How can you say that about him? Don't you know he is the son of a nobleman? I say that makes more of royal blood than you. You don't even have the privilege of being a member of the royal house of Eorl."

"SILENCE BOY! I gained my position as king through… certain legitimate means. I will not have some upstart soldier usurp MY throne!"

"Heed my warning or not, a large army will assault this city. And unlike you, father, I shall not be comfortable to sit in a keep while good men die to defend you. I shall take charge of the defense and defend the people."

"Have your way boy, go and die in whatever manner best suits you, I care not." With this last statement, Thaelon storms out of the keep and begins preparing the defenses of the city.

Baldor awakens the next day to find the city busy. All along the outer wall defenses are being prepared. Archers and ballistae line the walls as swordsmen stand in long rows behind them. Standing in the street, he sees Thaelon directing the defenses. He walks up to him to see what is going on, though he guesses why in his head.

"Greeting friend," Baldor says. "What's going on here?"

Thaelon turns to face him. "We are preparing for a siege. I spotted a large uruk army heading this way as I was returning from patrol yesterday. I have scouts out marking their position. They should be due back for report in the next few minutes."

As he says this, the gates open and a rider gallops through and stops in front of the two commanders.

"My lords," the exasperated scout exclaims. "The uruk army is nearly upon us. They will be here within an hour."

Baldor then recognizes the scout. "Leofric? What in the blazes are you doing as a scout?"

Before Leofric can answer, Thaelon answers for him. "I selected him to be the scout. You know well that he is the best rider we have. The stealthiest too, I might add."

Baldor sighs. "Leofric, I would've had no problems letting Thaelon command you, but you should have asked first. Under normal circumstances I would be forced to confine you to your quarters, but I have need of your skills. There is an army led by Lord Eorl at Deglor Keep. Ride there and see if you can enlist their help. Now go."

Without a word, Leofric, though tired, furiously gallops back out the gate and along the road to the west.


	2. Chapter 2

An orc patrol wanders through the woodlands of Northern Ithilien. They make camp and sit around a campfire. A few dozen yards away, Aragost and his men prepare an ambush; they take positions around the orc camp and, upon a signal from Aragost, unleash their arrows into the unsuspecting orcs. Before the orcs know what hit them, they are lying around the campfire with arrows protruding from their backs. The men cut off the ears of the orcs as trophies

"Orcs usually don't wander this far into our lands. I fear an attack may come soon. Spread out rangers; find any uruks who may carry intelligence that may indicate an attack. As for me, I shall return to Cair Andros and report our findings to my father at once. If any of you find anything of note, return to Cair Andros at once." With that he mounted his horse and galloped off to Cair Andros.

As Aragost rides through the rebuilt gates to the island fortress, he reflects on the how much it has changed from its original state. During the War of the Ring, Cair Andros was a dilapidated fortress situated on an island. The Gondorian garrison there was quite small, mostly there as an early warning for attacks coming from the Black Gate. When orc armies appeared on the horizon, the garrison fled to Minas Tirith leaving the fortress totally abandoned. The orcs thought nothing of the fortress, instead focusing on fortifying Minas Tirith and Osgiliath. The Gondorian resistance, led by Aragost's father, Beregond, recaptured the fortress and began to rebuild it. Bolstered by new recruits, the army has restored Cair Andros to its former glory. On the northern side of the island lies the keep, surrounded by thick, massive walls; it is nearly impervious to attack. On the southern side a city has been built. The coast of the entire island is fully walled, making an attack by boat impossible. The only way in and out of the island is the bridge, which is guarded by gatehouses on either side. There is also a large garrison of 10,000 men. Scattered in small fortresses throughout the land are around 60,000 more soldiers, the largest free people's army in Middle-earth.

The city itself is home to the largest population in Gondor. Paved streets, alleyways darting in every which way and large beautiful buildings are what impress Aragost the most. Nowhere else in Middle-Earth could now compare to the beauty of this place, save a few dwarven settlements that have been sealed up for the past 35 years.

Aragost rides into the city, where the palace is located and is admitted inside. As he enters the throne room his father, King Beregond, stands to greet him.

"Welcome my son. I thought you were leading patrols in Ithilien, but no matter. Come, sit with me, my servants have prepared fine wine and roast venison for us to eat." He motions toward a large stone dining table set in the left side of the room.

"I would be glad to, father, I have not had a hot meal for two days. But first I have urgent news from Ithilien. Yesterday, near our hidden base at Henneth Annun, my men and I intercepted a large convoy of orcs. It was a fierce battle and I lost quite a few good men. Then today we killed a patrol of orcs who, as we watched them, seemed to be scouting. I fear an attack may soon come."

Beregond's face turns pale. "I feared that this day would come. I have done everything in my power to stop it, but to no avail. Mordor is preparing for its final push. The end has come."

As he finishes saying these words, an arrow, seemingly from nowhere, strikes Beregond in the chest. As guards rush to the king's side to protect him from further harm, Aragost looks to where the arrow came from and sees an open window with a hooded individual darting out.

Aragost draws his sword and races up the stairs to the open window. He looks out and sees that it connects to a part of the roof outside; he also sees the hooded figure running along toward the edge. Aragost leaps onto the roof and runs after the figure. He chases the figure to the edge and corners it.

"Ha, nowhere left for you to run now, assassin. Now tell me why you shot my father!" Without a word, the assassin takes step back with his arms outstretched and falls off the roof. Aragost runs to the edge and sees the assassin jump out of a hay cart and onto the busy market street where he disappears into the crowd.

Having lost the fugitive, Aragost heads back into the palace. He asks a servant where his father is. "He has been taken to his bedchambers, my lord. After you left, the apothecary discovered that the arrow he had been shot had been poisoned. I regret to inform you that your father is dead." The news shocks him and he sinks to his knees. He puts his hands to his face and begins to sob.

With the death of his father, Aragost was now king of Gondor. The coronation was held a few days after a large funeral for Beregond. Hundreds of people were now gathered in the palace. Aragost kneels before the realm's marshal, who was appointed to crown the king. Aragost repeats the oath that his father had taught him years ago and the marshal places the golden crown upon his head. "LONG LIVE THE KING!" The crowd shouts in unison.

He raises his hands to quiet the crowd. "My friends, I will not tell you that I am to be a wise and just king, for that I am not. But I shall tell you this, as long as I draw breath, I shall protect each and every one of you from harm to the utmost of my ability. For now though, we must prepare for war."

The soldiers of Rohan line up on the walls they stare across the field to the forest beyond. Suddenly, with an earth shattering roar, multiple trees crash to the ground at once. Out of the forest emerge large numbers of fully armored marching uruk-hai. Behind them are massive war machines, catapults and ballistae along with scaling ladders.

Baldor stands by Thaelon upon the gatehouse, where the fiercest fighting is likely to take place. Baldor leaps upon some supply crates and prepares a speech. "Men, the enemy may look strong, well disciplined, and better equipped than us. But that does not mean that…" Mid sentence he is cut off by a ballistae bolt that nearly takes off his head.

Thaelon laughs, "So much for that speech."

"I spent all morning preparing that."

"Don't worry; I'm sure that there will be time for speeches afterward."

"If there is one."

An uruk rides to the gate bearing a white flag. "Hold fire," Thaelon commands. "It might be here to negotiate."

The messenger sneers. "IT! YOU DARE CALL ME THAT; I'LL HAVE YOUR TONGUE FOR THAT!" The uruk calms down after his outburst. "My master has not sent me to ask for your surrender, no, I have come for a different purpose. Any of you so-called soldiers who helps our takeover of this city shall not be harmed, nor their families. You shall also be rewarded with much fine gold and silver, you shall never have to work again! You may also travel freely without fear of taken as our… servants. Any takers?" No one makes a move. "Fine then, prepare to die."

As the uruk army marches closer and closer to the walls, a young Rohirrim soldier of 19, a man named Wulf, snaps. He ponders the words of the uruk rider. 'Maybe,' he thinks, 'if I can open the gates, maybe they'll let me live.' As he is standing on the gatehouse, he flings himself upon the lever and pulls it back, which begins to open the gate. Baldor and Thaelon pull him off of it as another soldier closes the gate again.

"What on earth are you doing boy?" Baldor shouts

All he can he say is "I don't want to die!" Over and over. "Lock him up; we'll deal with him later."

Two soldiers grab Wulf's arms and drag him to the dungeon. "You'll regret this! The uruks will kill you all! There is no escape!"

The uruks begin load their siege engines and fire upon the walls. Every so often, one or two Rohan soldiers would be launched off the walls and onto the streets by ballistae fire or catapult boulders. The walls are the main target and they shake under the defender's feet as they are pounded.

The defenders are outnumbered 6-1 and retreat is impossible, as there is nowhere to run to. The uruk force is over 30,000 strong whereas the Rohirrim defenders have close to 2,000 men-at-arms.

The Rohirrim fight bravely on the walls and rally under Thaelon and Baldor but are pushed off the walls and into the streets of the second layer. The fighting is fierce and brutal and all hope of rescue seems lost as the defenders retreat to the courtyard of the keep for a final defense. Civilians bang on the gate of the keep but Tyrgon refuses to allow them in. Baldor helps some soldiers move some wagons in front of the courtyard entrance but that can only last so long before the uruks break through.

The uruks push against the makeshift barricade and within minutes smash through it and storm the courtyard. The uruks kill or destroy anything in their path. The uruk leader, Azdush, rides through the gates on his warg. He sees Thaelon leading the defense and charges him.

Thaelon is caught off guard and is trampled by the warg. He gets back up and faces Azdush, who gets off of the warg and draws his orc scimitar. Thaelon stands his ground as the uruk charges him. Azdush slashes at Thaelon's chest but the attack is blocked. Thaelon attempts to stab at Azdush's neck but is blocked and countered by a slash to his throat. The slash makes contact and cuts through Thaelon's armor and cuts his throat. Thaelon falls to his knees and clutches his throat as his life's blood drains away.

Baldor finishes off the uruks that attacked him and turns around only to see his friend Thaelon sprawled on the stone ground with red blood pooling around him. He also sees Thaelon's attacker, Azdush, and charges the bloodthirsty uruk. As he charges he does not pay attention to his surroundings and is knocked unconscious by an uruk's mace blow.

Azdush stands over Baldor as the uruk prepares a final blow. "Stop fool. This human is strong and would make an excellent slave. Bind his arms and put him in a wagon." The uruk with the mace reluctantly binds Baldor and leads him away.

By now the rest of the Rohirrim have surrendered, about a hundred, and are lead away to the wagons to be sold as slaves. The uruks break down the door to the dungeons and find Wulf, the young soldier who tried to open the gates for the uruks.

"I opened the gates for you," Wulf says. "Will you keep your word?"

Azdush towers above the boy. "Yes, you will not die." He turns to the other uruks, "Bind him."

"What? You said I could go free?"

"And you will. As soon as your new masters seem fit to free you, slave." The boy protests and attempts to escape but is punched in the face by an uruk and knocked unconscious

The guards in the keep attempt to resist further but are soon overwhelmed when the uruks break down the gate. Azdush orders the uruks to take no prisoners and every last guard, civilian and even Tyrgon are slain. Their bodies are mutilated and hung above the gates of the citadel in an attempt to warn any more humans that resistance is futile.


End file.
